[Joker44]

Subah ka message uske phone par tab aaya jab haveli ke kitchen mein chai ubal rahi thi, aur Srivalli off-white cotton saree mein, pallu seene par, maa ji ke saath bartan rakh rahi thi. Screen par Jolly ka naam tha, uske neeche ek photo: party letterhead, uska naam, constituency, aur neeche Gopal Reddy ke dastkhat. Doosri line mein Venkat Rao ka short note tha, “Committee cleared. Announce today.”

Srivalli ke haath ek pal ke liye bartan par ruk gaye. Andar jo josh utha, woh itna tez tha ki uski saans ek baar atak si gayi, aur uske saath wahi sharm bhi thi jo kal raat ki emerald zari ke saath chipki hui thi. *Nikal aaya. Unki zabaan kachi nahi thi. Maine chukaya, aur yeh kaagaz meri hai.* Usne maa ji ko muskurakar kaha, “Maa ji, Pushpa ji ko bula lijiye, ek acchi baat hai,” aur khud verandah ki taraf chal di, pallu theek karte hue, phone ko aise liye hue jaise koi prasad ho.

Pushpa ji site ki copy band kar ke aaye, beedi abhi honth par thi, aur jab Srivalli ne unhe screen dikhaya, unki aankhon mein pehle hairani aayi, phir ek bhari, khuli khushi. Unhone usko uth kar apni bahon mein liya, uski off-white pallu unki kali shirt se dab gayi, aur unki awaaz aangan tak chali gayi. “Rani, nikal gayi! Meri rani ki ticket nikal gayi! Maa, meetha nikaalo, aaj haveli mein khushi hai. Jolly, Rudra uncle, sab ne kar dikhaya. Main jaanta tha meri sherni nikaal legi.”

Maa ji ne haath jod liye, aankhon mein paani aa gaya, aur unhone jaldi se rava kesari nikaalne ki khatir kitchen ki taraf daud si ki. Srivalli unke seene se chipki rahi, muskurayi, aur us muskaan mein asal khushi bhi thi, asal wazan bhi. “Haan, Pushpa ji, nikal gayi. Kal dinner theek raha, aaj paper aa gaya. Ab campaign sochna hoga. Aap meri taraf se Rudra uncle ko shukriya keh dena, lekin formalities mein mat ulajhiyega. Main sambhal lungi.”

“Main unko call karta hoon,” Pushpa ji bole, already phone nikaalte hue. “Aaj shaam unka shukriya karna chahiye, rani. Aisi khushi chhupakar nahi rakhi jaati.”

Srivalli ke honth ek pal ke liye kas gaye, lekin usne unka haath nahi roka. *Aap shukriya karoge, aur woh shayad is khushi ko apne hisaab se wasool karna chahein. Main taiyar hoon, lekin aapko yeh chehra nahi dikhna chahiye.* “Aap call kar lijiye, Pushpa ji. Jo ho, seedhi baat rahiye. Main yahin hoon.”

Dopahar tak khabar haveli se nikal kar rishte-naatedaron tak chali gayi. Phone bajte rahe, Pushpa ji ki awaaz proud rahi, aur Srivalli ne har call par rani wali naram muskaan rakhi. Shaam se pehle Rudra ka message khud aaya, Jolly ke through nahi.

Rudra: Ticket teri hai, rani. Aaj shaam meri kothi, chhoti si mulaqaat, sirf shukriya aur agla kadam. Pushpa ko keh dena party ke andar wale log tujhe aashirwad dena chahte hain. Jolly bhi hoga. Tu aa.

Srivalli ne screen ko thodi der dekha, phir Pushpa ji ko dikhaya, pallu ke neeche haath shaant. “Rudra uncle ne bulaya hai, aaj shaam, chhoti si mulaqaat, aashirwad ke liye. Main jaaun?”

“Ja, rani, zaroor ja,” unhone kaha, bina ek pal soche. “Unhone teri ticket nikaali hai, unka aashirwad lena chahiye. Main bhi chalun?”

Usne dheere se sir hilaaya, muskaan naram. “Aap nahi, Pushpa ji. Yeh andar wali baat hai, formalities, ladies aur party seniors. Aap kal unko alag se shukriya kar lijiye. Aaj main jaa kar aa jaaungi. Late hua to phone kar dungi.”

Unhone haan mein sir hilaaya, uske maathe par kiss kiya, aur maa ji ko kuch meetha dabba rakhne ko kaha, jo rani saath le jaaye. Srivalli bedroom gayi, almari kholi, aur aaj ki saree dheere chuni, jaise koi apni keemat ka kapda chun rahi ho: gehra vermilion Banarasi, gold zari ka chauda border, pallu par jaal ka kaam, uske neeche tight maroon blouse, gehra U-cut, peeth par teen hooks, kundan set, maang tika, sindoor ki saaf rekha, chameli ki gajra ek neeche bun par, saat gold choodiyan, payal, gold haar, aur mangalsutra. Petticoat maroon satin ka tha, kamar par tight. Sandalwood attar, halka. Yeh khushi wali rani ki soorat thi, wedding jaisi, aashirwad jaisi.

Sheeshe mein uski chhati U-cut se uth rahi thi, zari uski ranon ke ghere par jal rahi thi, aur mangalsutra usi gehraai mein baitha tha. Usne lipstick gehra maroon lagayi, pallu seene par kas kar lapeta, phir ek baar khisakaya, phir wapas kas kar. *Baap aur beta, dono ek saath. Yeh soch kar meri saans atakti hai, ek ghabrahat hai jo farmhouse se alag hai, kyunki aaj do nazar ek saath hongi, do haath ek saath honge. Phir bhi main jaa rahi hoon, kyunki yeh kursi ab un dono ke beech se guzar kar aage jaayegi, aur main peeche nahi hatungi. Jo dungi, soch kar dungi, dono ko, apni marzi se. Pushpa ji neeche meetha rakh rahe honge, aur main unki khushi ko le kar us kothi mein utarungi, jahan aashirwad ka matlab sirf haath rakhna nahi hoga.*

Neeche maa ji ne usko dekh kar haath jod liye. “Aaj tu dulhan jaisi lag rahi hai, beti. Aashirwad le kar aa, muh meetha kar ke aa.” Pushpa ji ne usko gaadi tak chhoda, darwaza khola, aur kaha, “Jaldi aa, rani. Main jaagta hoon.” Usne muskurakar sir hilaaya, aur gaadi nikalte hi uski choodiyan ek baar baj uthi, jaise koi chhoti si ghanti ho is raat ki.

Rudra ki kothi ki peeli light uski vermilion zari par giri jab Jolly ne darwaza khola. Andar whiskey ki khushboo thi, aur drawing room mein Rudra khade the, cream kurta, haath peeche, nazar uski soorat par ruki jaise farmhouse wali raat ko ruki thi. “Aa, rani. Ticket teri hai, yeh main kah chuka tha, aaj kaagaz ne bhi keh diya. Aaj raat shukriya bhi hai, aur agla kadam bhi. Pushpa ko tu kya keh kar aayi?”

“Aashirwad, party seniors, formalities,” usne kaha, awaaz shaant, pallu seene par. “Unko yahi dikhana hai. Aap dono ko meri baat sunni hai pehle. Aaj main yahan hoon, apni marzi se, is khushi ke hisaab se. Lekin jo hoga, meri haan se hoga. Dono ek saath, yeh main samajh kar aayi hoon, aur main manzoor karti hoon, lekin dheere, meri awaaz par. Jo main na kahun, woh nahi hoga. Yeh meri shart hai, aaj bhi.”

Rudra hans pade, wohi malikana taarif. “Shart rakhna tu bhooli nahi. Achha hai. Aaj raat tu meri bhi hai, mere bete ki bhi, kyunki yeh kursi hum dono ne teri taraf dhakki hai, aur tu ne chukaya bhi hai, lekin aaj ka hisaab alag hai. Jolly, tera hissa bhi aaj yahi hai, chhup kar nahi, saamne. Rani, bol, taiyar hai?”

Jolly uske kareeb khada tha, black shirt, aankhon mein kal wala hisaab aur aaj ki bhook dono. “Bhabhi, tu jo kahegi, main wahi karunga. Baap ji ke saath, teri haan se. Tu rukna chahe to ruk jaaunga.”

Srivalli ne dono ko dekha, ek pal saans bhari, aur sir hilaaya. “Taiyar hoon. Pallu aap utarie, Rudra uncle, aaj aashirwad aapke haath se shuru ho. Mangalsutra rahega, yeh aap jaante hain.”

Unhone pallu dheere utara, vermilion silk uski baazu se khisaki, zari jal uthi, aur hooks ek-ek karke khule, jaise farmhouse mein khule the, lekin aaj Jolly peeche khada dekh raha tha, uski saans bhi uske kareeb thi. Blouse utra, boobs bahar aaye, maroon silk ke contrast mein gore, mangalsutra unke beech, aur petticoat ki naada Jolly ne tab kheenchi jab Srivalli ne peeche mud kar kaha, “Haan, Jolly, aap bhi. Aaj dono ke haath honge, meri ijazat se.” Saree marble par gehra laal ghera ban kar giri, aur woh dono ke saamne khadi thi, nangi, sindoor, jhumke, choodiyan, payal, haar, mangalsutra. Sharm aayi, tez, dono ki nazar ek saath se, phir usne haath nahi chupaye. *Yeh meri keemat hai, meri khushi ki, meri kursi ki, aur main ise aankhein khol kar de rahi hoon.*